The list of names contradicting the Kingdom’s ‘religious and cultural norms’
includes several foreign names

Binyamin is the Prophet Jacob’s son, and the brother of the Prophet Joseph. But it is also the first name of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

By Harry Alsop

8:22PM GMT 15 Mar 2014

Saudi Arabia’sinterior ministry said it had ordered a ban on the names because they contradicted the religion or the culture of the Kingdom.

Along with western names such as Sandy, Linda and Elaine, the interior ministry has forbidden Saudi parents from giving their children names with royal connotations, such as Malika (Queen) and Amir (Prince).

Some religious names have also been deemed inappropriate, or even blasphemous.

Parents will no longer be able to have a baby Malak (Angel), Nabi (Prophet) or Jibreel (Gabriel), names which are popular across the Middle East and in Islamic countries.

Popular Shi'a names such as Abdul Nabi and Abdul Hussain are controversial in strict iterations of Sunni Islam because of the multiple ways in which they can be interpreted.